Alt Summit 2018 Review

What’s Alt Summit and what can I expect?

Time flies when you’re having fun, and I’ve been applying what I’ve learned since I left Alt Summit in Palm Springs, CA. Alt Summit is a creative conference for entrepreneurs, brands, influencers and others that want to connect and collaborate with one another. Talk about thriving in a sea of colorful style! Not only did I meet other women with their voices amplified, but I also got to take a gander at the whimsical and dashing outfits from all over the world at The Saguaro Hotel. Yes, we’re stylish and intelligent. 🙂 Come sit with us!

Attendees rocked colorful frocks, crop tops, high waisted pants, bold sunnies, and unique flair all their own. Even if someone mentioned that they dressed too casual, their outfit of the day still baffled me with execution and effortlessness. With a fashion show everywhere you go and photos snapping for Instagram and future blog posts, it’s easy to feel caught up in the dizzy, exhilarating energy of it all. I was so excited to attend with my friend Lea Ridenour and designer behind the lovely apparel and accessories brand Made Au Gold. It’s cool to have friends with different interests, so you can meet back up and share all of your classes and workshop tips. Empowering women empower women, and this conference proves there is enough room for each unique person and set of ideas to thrive beautifully together. I’m still in awe of the powerful, raw energy from the conference.

Classes, Making Friends, and Lessons Learned

Between the meet and greets, I made time to ensure I was attending my top picks for classes and workshops. After attending classes and in between meet and greets, there are plenty of photo opportunities! This is one place you definitely can feel supported and comfortable asking others to take your group photo or boomerang. It was awesome! I packed the most important classes into my notebook and let my mind brainstorm with each tip and trick. Although it went by pretty fast, and the overlap with classes I wanted to attend bummed me out a bit, I am satisfied with the ones I did get to catch. No complaints here! I take it as a lesson, and it only means I have more to understand and apply. Growth is never-ending, and I’m grateful I could even attend! (Tickets sold out beforehand within the first few minutes—whoa!)

Is it worth all that dough?

The swag alone from each sponsor and at the Welcome Party makes it worth your while. I signed up fast enough for the sponsor dessert with JOANN Fabrics, and we had a blast chatting with the team and other creatives. I got to take home a cute Fujifilm instax camera with film and a festive boho desert meets tropical printed carrying case bag. Swoon! I’ve had this on my Amazon wishlist forever, so it already was totally worth my trip. I can’t wait to try it out now around town, since I’m back at home in Austin, Texas.

What about the cool places around town? Where should I eat? Should I stay at The Saguaro or nearby?

Next time, I’ll stay a bit longer, so I can visit Yucca Valley, Joshua Tree, and more adventurous spots I missed. The drink sponsor for the event was Day Owl Rosé, and the daily creative cocktails were delicious. For food, you may want to explore outside of the hotel. While I enjoyed El Jefe and the other food offerings at the hotel, I wanted to switch it up a bit. Birba is totally worth the hype and splurge! I enjoyed the free hotel breakfast that was left at our door, but I was expecting an actual continental breakfast. I wasn’t disappointed, but I guess I should’ve asked. You live and learn. I scarfed it up and the fruit totally powered me through the day. (There had been a hotel booking issue, where The Saguaro promised to take off fees and provide free breakfast in light of a “glitch” that occurred when attendees booked rooms. We also didn’t have those fees taken off as promised, so needless to say, I’ll be staying at an airbnb next time!)

I like to keep it positive and realistic, so besides those minor snags, I had a wonderful time at Alt Summit. If the gear and drinks weren’t enough of a treat, let’s remember why I wanted to attend in the first place! The real bonus: I connected one-on-one and chatted with some of my favorites from Instagram. It’s not weird at all to walk up to someone you admire for their work or e-friends from forever and a day ago. It’s the coolest to meet the rad babes I’ve been following along and chatting with over the years or most recently in the last few months. I now have a great group of ladies to bounce ideas off, plan projects together throughout the year, and share our upcoming trips to other conferences, festivals, and markets. What a time to be alive!

Traveling Solo? You’ve Got This, Babe!

Don’t worry about traveling alone! You’ll gravitate towards the people on the same wavelength of awesome sauce, when you’re your authentic self. Wearing my bright outfits and being my bubbly, ginger self, I attracted those with a similar vision in our own different ways. It’s a thrill to travel to a conference and make new friends on my own, while I find the ability to overcome fears and doubts with confidence and humility. Alt Summit wasn’t just about professional development— there were classes on taking better care of yourself, staying organized, and overall balancing your passions. Some of my favorite parts about Alt Summit were going on adventures around town with my friend Claudia Ramos of Claudia Ramos Designs. We did our own Palm Springs Door Tour. Thanks Claudia for taking me on a fun adventure around town and us getting lost, while seeing more of the city- ha! (Yes, I even got the chance to snap a pic in front of the famous pink door! It looks like a glorious, giant pink chocolate bar. 🙂 ) For 2019, I’m definitely headed to Alt Summit with a group of gals. I’m already excited! Hopefully next year will have warmer weather, so we can enjoy the pool floats.

You Do You, But Know Your Tribe is Out There!

If you feel burnt out, you’re probably not doing what you love or maybe there’s a hack you need to explore. It’s all about switching up your mindset. I explored things I didn’t know about myself and it made a lightbulb spark for me. Surrounded by so many inspirational women in creative industries, this trip recharged my energy. I feel more confident to stand on my own, but it’s also refreshing that I can reach out to a collective of other rad entrepreneurs and influencers. I can’t wait to see where this goes!

Would I go again next year?

Absolutely. Who doesn’t want to continue to learn, network, and grow? It’s with an open heart and big smile that I can’t wait to share more creativity throughout the year. Who knows what projects will be created while leading up to Alt Summit in 2019! Will we see you there, too? Stay tuned to read my post on what to bring and things you should leave at home. I’ll also create a separate post on what I would do differently next time around and more.

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